Hi Guys!

Meet our beautiful friend Leanne. Leanne is a loving mother and wife to Matt and her four energetic kids; Brayden, Preston, Cormack and Paige. 

Towards the end of December 2016 my colleagues and I recieved a text message late one night from Leanne. Not to bid us farewell for the working year, or to  wish us a safe and merry christmas. But to tell us that with a heavy heart, she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She was to undergo surgery immediately which would determine its severity, and allow specialists to understand her much needed treatment plans moving forward.

We are all players of the Sunnybank Rugby Union Club, and Leanne is our registrar, our workmate, our good friend, and at times our stand in mum. Her kids have all been players of the Junior rugby club with the youngest three still being involved. Brayden has moved on and is finishing his last years in high school. Preston is often found to be hanging around the Senior players just waiting to move up into the Colts, while Cormack is still working his way through club and Rep rugby at the U11/U12s age group. The youngest spark Paige has just joined our Junior girls program and we can't wait to watch her come through the ranks of Women's rugby one day. 

Our Women's team are a tight knit bunch of girls who wear our heart on our sleeve for each other, on and off the field. Breast cancer is an illness that has affected a number of us personally, and hearing of Leanne's recent news left a lot of us wanting, and looking to do more for her and her family.

Losing her beautiful blonde hair is inevitable at this stage, and for most women would be a difficult ordeal to go through alone. We thought that as women of the club and of our rugby community, in support of Leanne would shave our hair through her treatment as well. 

Of course throughout our rugby community here, there are the good men of this club who were always looking to be a part of her support network too. We will have a few of the boys who are willing to take part and will also be shaving their hair and raising funds for Breast Cancer Australia.

Initially the funds raised were intended to go towards Leanne as she has a full on family of 6. I was only wishing that the funds would be used towards her treatment, towards her recovery, and just to assist with their family in any capacity needed throughout this time. 

A true reflection on Leanne and the wonderful selfless being that she is, left us to find that she did not want the funds raised to go directly to her, but to go towards Breast Cancer Australia in their research into finding a better cure for men and women in the future.

At this stage their are 6 members of the Women's team and we  will be shaving our hair together on Saturday March 4th at Sunnybank Rugby Clubrooms, after we play our 3rd trial game at home. We are looking to raise awareness and all money raised between now and the shave will be going towards Breast Cancer Australia.

Leanne is such a bright soul in so many of our lives and her family have such great presence within our rugby club and community. Any contribution in support, no matter how small, would be greatly recieved and would mean the world to Leanne during this time knowing that she is already able to give back.

It would also mean the world to our players who are shaving their hair that we raise as much funds possible in support of Leanne's wishes. Although we are not losing our hair through treatment, we are thankful to know that in some small way we are able to support our colleague, our registrar, our good friend and her family throughout this journey xx

Thank you so much for your love and support, if you could share our page and event to help raise awareness and to make this an enjoyable afternoon for Leanne and everyone invovled.